As someone new to unemployment benefits, I really appreciate all the detailed information everyone has shared here! I'm in a similar situation - just started my claim and was unsure about the tax withholding option. From what I'm gathering, it sounds like keeping the withholding is generally the safer choice, especially if you have dependents. The peace of mind of not potentially owing a large tax bill later seems worth it, even if it means giving the government an "interest-free loan" as someone mentioned. @Logan Chiang - your situation sounds very similar to mine (single parent, kids in daycare while job searching). The tip about keeping detailed records of job search activities for the Child and Dependent Care Credit is really helpful. I hadn't thought about that documentation aspect. Thanks to everyone for making this complex topic easier to understand for those of us navigating unemployment benefits for the first time!

As someone who just went through this exact situation last year, I can confirm that you'll likely get most of your withheld taxes back with two kids! I was a single parent on unemployment for about 6 months and had taxes withheld the whole time. When I filed my taxes, between the Child Tax Credit and my relatively low income for the year, I got back almost everything that was withheld. One tip that really helped me - I used a free tax software that could estimate my refund throughout the year as I entered different income scenarios. It gave me peace of mind knowing I wasn't going to owe anything come tax time. Also, make sure you keep all your EDD documents organized! The 1099-G form they send you will show exactly how much was withheld, and you'll need that when filing. Good luck with your job search - being on unemployment is stressful enough without worrying about tax surprises later!

Wow, reading through all these experiences has been both frustrating and reassuring at the same time! I'm currently dealing with this exact issue - been locked out for about 10 days now because I can't remember my last payment amount from early 2022. It's honestly mind-boggling that they'd use such a flawed security system that locks out legitimate users while asking for information that's realistically impossible to remember after years. What really stands out to me from this thread is how Jackson came back to share his successful resolution - that kind of follow-up is so valuable for everyone else struggling with this! The 8 AM calling strategy seems to be the real key here, and knowing that EDD reps have alternative verification methods available gives me actual hope instead of just despair. I'm also really encouraged to hear they're phasing out these payment-related security questions. It's about time they recognized this was a terrible approach! For a system that's supposed to help people, creating barriers that prevent legitimate users from accessing their own accounts is just backwards. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and solutions here. This thread has convinced me to stop procrastinating and make that call tomorrow morning. The community support in dealing with these government bureaucracy nightmares really makes all the difference!

This thread has been incredibly helpful and shows exactly why peer-to-peer support is so valuable when dealing with government systems! I'm bookmarking this for future reference because the collective wisdom here is way better than anything on the official EDD website. What really strikes me is how this demonstrates a fundamental design flaw in their security system - asking people to remember specific dollar amounts from years ago is just setting everyone up to fail. It's like they prioritized creating barriers over actually helping legitimate users access their accounts. The 8 AM calling strategy that keeps coming up seems to be the real game-changer here. Jackson's 40-minute wait time is honestly much better than I expected based on all the horror stories floating around. And the fact that EDD reps have alternative verification methods available (but don't advertise this clearly) is both reassuring and frustrating at the same time. I'm really glad to hear they're finally phasing out those payment-related security questions. Hopefully other government agencies will learn from this mess and design better user experiences that don't punish people for being human and not memorizing every financial detail from their past!

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago! One thing I learned that might help - when you're filling out the DE 2500A forms, they ask for your "gross earnings" for each week. Make sure you report the actual week you earned the money, not when you got paid. So if you worked Monday-Friday but got paid the following week, report it for the week you actually worked. This tripped me up initially and caused some confusion with my benefit calculations. Also, keep a simple log of your daily hours worked - it makes filling out the forms so much easier than trying to remember everything later!

Just wanted to share my experience from when I was on SDI and working part-time. The most important thing is to be super precise with your reporting - I used a simple spreadsheet to track my daily hours and wages because the DE 2500A forms are very specific about dates. Also, don't panic if your first few benefit payments seem off - it usually takes EDD a couple weeks to adjust to your part-time earnings pattern. One tip that saved me headaches: I always submitted my continued claim forms online through EDD Online rather than mailing them. You get confirmation that they received it and can check the status. The online portal also shows your payment history which helps you track how your part-time wages are affecting your weekly benefit amount. Hang in there - it gets easier once you establish the routine!

I feel your pain! I went through this exact same nightmare with my SDI claim last year. Here's what finally worked for me: I called the main number at exactly 8:00 AM on a Wednesday using the redial feature on my phone. I set up my phone to automatically redial every 30 seconds while I did other things. After about 2 hours of this, I finally got through to the queue instead of the max capacity message. The key is persistence and timing - avoid Mondays and Fridays at all costs. Also, make sure you have all your paperwork ready before you call because once you get through, you want to handle everything in one call. The wait time was still 1.5 hours once I got in the queue, but at least I was making progress. Don't give up - you've got 10 days which is more time than you think if you're strategic about it!

I went through this exact same frustration with my FMLA/SDI claim about 6 months ago. What ultimately saved me was a combination of the strategies mentioned here. I used the auto-redial technique on Wednesday mornings starting at exactly 8:00 AM, but I also had my partner call from their phone at the same time using a slightly different approach - they would call the main number but select different menu options to try to reach a different queue. One of us finally got through after about 90 minutes of this tag-team calling. The rep told me that if you're dealing with SDI transitioning to PFL (which it sounds like you might be), there's actually a specialized unit for those hybrid cases that sometimes has shorter wait times. Also, pro tip: once you do get through, ask the rep if they can schedule a callback appointment for any follow-up questions rather than having to go through this phone hell again. Some reps can do this, though not all know about it. Hang in there - 10 days is definitely enough time if you're persistent!

UPDATE: I ended up using that Claimyr service that someone mentioned above and it actually worked! Got connected to an EDD tech support person in about 30 minutes. Turns out my account WAS locked because of too many incorrect password attempts. They unlocked it, helped me set a new password, and I was able to certify right away. Also took the advice about setting up text verification so this doesn't happen again. Thanks everyone for your help!

So glad you got it resolved! This thread is going to be super helpful for other people who run into the same issue. I've bookmarked it because I have a feeling EDD's password/account lockout problems are pretty common. The fact that they don't clearly distinguish between "wrong password" and "account locked" messages is such poor UX design - no wonder people get stuck in these loops trying the same password over and over.